EPFL Middle East congratulates the first class of students to graduate from the Master’s program in energy management and sustainability.

Two years ago, EPFL and EPFL Middle East launched a Master’s program in Energy Management and Sustainability (MES). It’s ambition is to federate traditionally distinct scientific disciplines that focus on different facets of energy: how it is produced, distributed and consumed. On October 5, the first students to enroll in the MES program received their diplomas at the EPFL campus in Lausanne, Switzerland. We wish them a successful future as they move on to apply their skills in industry, policymaking, or academia.

The students joined the program as a diverse group, with a broad range of geographical and academic backgrounds. Among them were physicists, architects, electrical, mechanical, and environmental engineers coming from around the world – China, Iran, Switzerland, India, and Pakistan, among many others. In the course of the two-year program, the students worked closely together, ultimately forming a tight-knit network.

Project oriented teachingThe Master’s program in energy management and sustainability is built around an innovative project oriented curriculum. In the first year, the students attended lectures drawn from a broad range of disciplines at EPFL. In parallel they worked on interdisciplinary and interconnected semester projects that they carry out in teams. These projects aimed to optimize energy production in wind farms, manage power efficiently using smart buildings technology and a smart power grid, and reduce domestic consumption through climate adapted architecture. Together, they contribute to finding technology-driven solutions for tomorrow’s cities.

Firmly anchored in research“The MES program is firmly anchored in research, and benefits from close ties with the industry in Switzerland and the UAE,” says Franco Vigliotti, dean of EPFL Middle East. He added that most of the students seized the opportunity to pursue internships or their Master’s thesis in the United Arab Emirates, working with research centers, consulting companies, and multinational companies present in the UAE. Those who stayed in Switzerland worked with power utilities, academic research laboratories, and industrial partners.

For the students, it was a rocky road, but they say it was one worth taking. “It was a challenge all of the time,” says Cecilia Andrade, one of the 20 students enrolled in the first class. “But ultimately, it gave us a benchmark to really understand the state of energy management and sustainability today,” she continues. “It made us empowered,” says Corina Stoenescu, a fellow student from Romania, “that our ideas and our creativity can now turn into solutions.”